


all that is left of us

by sequestering



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Academia, F/F, Modern Era, POV Outsider, Social Media
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 21:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21995626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sequestering/pseuds/sequestering
Summary: "Even were we to assume that Honeymaren was a real woman and that the depiction of her close relationship with Elsa was accurate, to decide that the intimacy between the two must have been sexual shows a crass and unimaginative mind."(Or: historians, the internet and the general public piece together the legend of Queen Elsa and Queen Anna of Arendelle)
Relationships: Elsa/Honeymaren (Disney)
Comments: 176
Kudos: 408





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To anyone reading with literally any knowledge of mid-1800s or Norwegian history, I am so sorry. Anyone who points out inaccuracies or corrections has my gratitude. Similarly, I have tried to be sensitive to issues of race/gender/sexuality but let me know if you think I've tripped up somewhere.
> 
> This is attempting to be a depiction of the real world (with some added magic) so there are some references to real world bigotry.

* * *

March 2019

E. Noss, _Norway's ruling queens: from Gunnhild to Anna of Arendelle_ (2007)

N. B. Koskinen, 'What could Elsa feel for Honeymaren? Sexual possibilities in a story of emotional intimacy' _Scandinavian Studies_ Vol. 145 (1989) p.3-38

**S. Simmons, 'Towards An Understanding Of Academic Impartiality' _Scandinavian Journal of History_ Vol. 44 (2019) p.15-68**

... The conclusions drawn in Koskinen's latest article in The Norweigan Historical Review are nothing short of absurd, indeed close to slanderous. Although searching through history for heretofore overlooked queer narratives is an admirable pursuit, I am becoming increasingly concerned that academic rigour is being sacrificed for the sake of popular and shallow progressiveness. What strikes me most in Koskinen's conclusions is the alarming ease with which confirmation bias seems to have slipped unchallenged into academia...

... Let us presume for now that the travelogues of Jakob Natvig are authentic and not, as has been compellingly argued by Nese, an entirely fictitious writing exercise by later scholars. His account of six months spent among the Northuldra people of Norway is a fascinating study of late Indigenous cultures. However what has been generally acknowledged, even by his most devoted fans, is that Natvig was no historian. While over thirty pages are devoted to the cultural significance of coffee, the geographic location of the Northuldra with whom he spent so much time is entirely unclear. He was, first and foremost, an anthropologist. Therefore confident declarations that the "pale witch", whom he names Ilzza, must be the former Queen Elsa of Arendelle are baseless...

... Now we come to the elusive figure of Honeymaren. Named only in the oral tradition of the Northuldra people, we are already toeing the line of historical accuracy. While orally transmitted songs and poetry, especially among the Northuldra, are used to record tribe and family history, they also regularly centre mythological figures. Often we find that mythology and history blur together making the oral tradition a difficult source...

... Even were we to assume that Honeymaren was a real woman and that the depiction of her close relationship with Elsa was accurate, to decide that the intimacy between the two must have been sexual in nature shows a crass and unimaginative mind. The phrase used most often in the oral tradition - "tentmates" - is commonly used for married couples, yes, but it is also used for non-sexual familial relationships...

... Most damning for Koskinen's argument is her uncritical reliance on the political rhetoric of the Southern Isles. Admittedly, the thorough and contemporary descriptions of the court of Queen Anna of Arendelle contained within Prince Elias' _On Trade_ speeches has made them uniquely valuable sources. The interpretation, though, is famously difficult. _On Trade_ III is indisputably a work of political invective and contains many of the associated tropes: Queen Anna is feeble minded; Prince Kristoff has an unnatural interest in reindeer; Olaf, the Queen's most-trusted adviser, is amusingly characterised as a snowman. So it is entirely unsurprising that Queen Elsa appears as a forest-dwelling water witch with predatory inclinations towards young women. Koskinen's assertion that this depiction should be taken seriously is a novice misreading of political diatribe as historical fact...

R. K. K. Smith and B. Melfi, _Elsa: Girl Made Goddess_ (2018)

C. P. Rygg, 'Magical lesbian? Rethinking the relationship between race, sexuality and the supernatural in depictions of Queen Elsa' in V. Opper _et al._ (eds.), _Women, Witches and Winter: Late Representations of Feminine Power in Northern Europe_

**forthewicked**

History: elsa and honeymaren were "tentmates". elsa and honeymaren "had the greatest of intimacies". honeymaren often accompanied elsa on visits home to arendelle. elsa and honeymaren were literally buried together.

Historians: oh wow :) they were such good friends!! isnt that nice :) 

**eatthebooks**

I totally get the frustration and you're right a lot of historians are super dumb and homophobic. But let's also not forget the hundreds of historians out there who push back against this narrative. I've read articles sometimes where I am convinced that the author is on tumblr.

Source: forthewicked #theres a lot of anti intellectualism going around #lets not add to it #btw if people want sources lmk!! #grad school has to be good for something right   
**1,264 notes**

T. Ruhl, 'Acts of God: Natural Disaster Induced Trauma in the Nordic Imagination' _Nineteenth-Century Studies_ Vol. 29 (2013) p.97-109

A. Wright, Chp 5: 'Elsa of Arendelle and the security of the unknown' in _Weather And War Anxieties in 19th Century Norwegian Fiction_ (2015) 

**annasarendelle**

Okay, so not to nerd out on main but. We all know about Queen Elsa of Arendelle and how she's traditionally shown as like an awesomely powerful water witch. We also know that, during her lifetime, Arendelle experienced one flash ice age, two unexplained full city evacuations and several major earthquakes.

There's this theory that links Arendelle experiencing all these awful natural disasters to depictions of Queen Elsa's powers. Either that they wanted a protector so they semi-deified her, or they wanted an explanation so they made her a monster. But either way.

This woman was so powerful and terrifying and otherworldly that people made her a natural disaster _while she was still alive_.

Source: eatthebooks #i would give my left arm for some semi decent sources #arendelle ladies #i just have a lot of very strong feelings   
**2,001 notes**

**Item #39. Queen Elsa on Nokk**  
On loan from Oslo City Museum until June 2020

Oil painting on canvas, painted c. 1850, artist unknown. Painting was found in the storage cellar of the Stor House, Arendelle. In the centre of the canvas is a woman, presumably Queen Elsa, dressed in thin white robes. She sits astride the Nokk, a mythical horse depicted as being formed from the water itself. Around the woman, the grey sea roils and the storm-split sky looms ominously. Queen Elsa is often painted in seascapes; the all-white robes, loose hair and Nokk steed are common elements of her iconography.

* * *

June 2019

**lesbiannapoleon**

**anonymous** asked:  
maybe a stupid question but whys queen elsa of arendelle on your historic indigenous women edit??

I'm so glad you asked! I will take literally any excuse to talk about my fave royals.

It's not a stupid question at all. For various reasons (racism, nationalism, more racism) most popular versions of the queens, including the upcoming margot robbie film, have been very white but that's entirely a modern invention. Elsa and Anna's father was white Arendellian but their mother was of the Northuldra, an indigenous tribe from northern scandinavia.

Their mother was probably white-passing and Anna and Elsa certainly were but their indigenous roots were hugely important to them. When Elsa abdicated she left Arendelle to live among the Northuldra where she stayed for the rest of her life. During Anna's reign, she put a focus on building diplomatic ties and trade relations with the Northuldra. She even built a statue (still standing in Arendelle today) in the town square of a clearly Northuldra child and a white Arendellian child (possibly representing her parents) holding hands to symbolize unity.

So yeah, history's a whitewash. But both Elsa and Anna were dual heritage and extremely aware and proud of their indigenous heritage.

Source: proud-puckbunnies #anon #kat speaks #elsa of arendelle #anna of arendelle   
**287 notes**

**Anna and Elsa - Trailer #2 (Universal Pictures) HD - In Cinemas June 24**

In Cinemas June 24.  
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AnnaAndElsaMovie/

Genre: Period Drama, Biopic  
Written by: Nate Glasser  
Directed by: Paul Dibb

The young Arendellian princesses Elsa (Margot Robbie) and Anna (Elle Fanning) grew up as everything to each other. Years later, Queen Elsa, hiding a terrible secret, has isolated herself from everyone - including her beloved sister. The sudden arrival of a strange prince (Ansel Elgort) may be enough to throw the whole kingdom into turmoil.

Period films  
**Anna and Elsa review - an emotional tale of love and loyalty between royal siblings**  
_Anna and Elsa_ delivers uneven emotional and political thrills, while offering a solid showcase for the talents of its well-matched leads.

**Peter Bradshaw** @PeterBradshaw1  
Fri 20 Jun 2019 10.00 EST

In writing the story of our legendary Norweigan queens, director Paul Dibb had a choice to make. Should his historical drama be more history or more drama? That's a tricky line to walk, especially when one of his subjects is a figure as famously elusive as Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Dibb clearly decided in the early phases of production that, rather than attempt to walk the line, he would simply set it on fire. The result is a deeply moving film with all the historical value of a picture book that will undoubtedly divide fans for years to come.

We first meet Anna and Elsa as bright-eyed children who live an isolated life in the royal palace, from which their strict and absent parents have forbidden them leaving. Rather than the lonely existence one might expect, the sisters are delighted by each other's company and the imaginative games they play, tumbling up and down long corridors. Fast forward ten years and there is a good deal less laughter in the halls. The remnants of that childish devotion is there in lingering looks and teary eyes but Elsa, struggling with the secret development of her powers and deeply ill-suited to ruling, will barely speak to her sister. 

When the handsome Prince Hans (Ansel Elgort) of the Southern Isles arrives on the scene, the situation explodes. It marks the beginning of an emotionally and politically fraught duel between the sisters, both for power and for the heart of Prince Hans. The plot then stumbles along through various implausible and sometimes soap opera-esque excitements. Sadly Elsa and Anna spend little time together and when the two are separated the film seems at a loss, killing time until the pair can reunite.

This, the complicated, intimate and deeply painful relationship between the titular sisters, is the film's emotional core and this is where it shines. Robbie is magnetic as Elsa. She inhabits the persona of the enigmatic Queen so deeply that it took me a moment to remember that it was the same performer who only last year was starring in _I, Tonya_ as a proud and punchy figure skater. Fanning has the slightly easier role, less sorrowful gazing out of windows and more political scheming, but is no less compelling. Anna's intelligence, passion and conflicted devotion is on constant show - and she delivers some truly terrible lines with impressive earnestness.

A bolder film might have trusted these talented actors to carry the film without the plot's insistence on melodrama and misunderstandings. This is not a bolder film. Nor is it a particularly clever film. Away from Robbie and Fanning's talent, the dodgy script becomes impossible to ignore. Gorgeous sets and beautiful costuming can cover only so many sins. By the time the film arrives at its final act, Dibb seems to have lost track of what he was trying to say. Is this a film about the importance of trust and communication? Is Elsa the victim in all this? Is Anna a fool for being so devoted to her secretive sister? Is anyone actually running the country? Certainly the film has no idea.

Much has been made of the controversial ending, a creative departure from the traditional historical narrative. Given that this is a period piece about fairly prominent historical figures, I feel no guilt about spoiling this ending - look away now if that will be a problem. Many will quite reasonably feel that it is a tone deaf decision to have Elsa and Hans run away together. Within the film, the romance is sweet and handled competently enough - Elgort is blandly likable and Robbie can create chemistry with anyone - but Queen Elsa's status as one of history's most famous ambiguously-homosexual women makes this another lazy choice.

_Anna and Elsa is released in the UK on 24 June, Australia on 1 July and the US on 2 July._

**bonnyannebonny**

i am literally begging y'all not to go see anna and elsa. i know we're all starved for mainstream arendelle content but it is literally The Worst Case Scenario.

1\. it is super super white with no mention of elsa and anna's northuldra heritage at all. you wouldnt even know that the northuldra existed

2\. its actually all over super white. i dont think i saw a single poc despite arendelle being close to the fairly major trading ports of the southern isles. its racism plain and simple

3\. maybe worst of all. elsa and some random prince run off into the sunset together. yes, elsa. elsa who spent her life with her indigenous gf. elsa who was buried with her gf. they give her a white boyfriend.

**lesbiannapoleon**

please say this isn't true

**dogeared**

I'm so furious and devastated about this. I didn't think it would be good but fucking hell this is horrendous.

Source: bonnyannebonny #why do i do this to myself #hollywood is a permanent disappointment   
**566 notes**

**knocknokk**

I so appreciate how the Arendelle fandom has collectively decided to cannibalise a&e for gifs/edits and then pretend it never happened

Source: knocknokk   
**371 notes**

* * *

July 2019

**dogeared**

There's a rumor circulating on the twittersphere and I don't want to freak anyone out. But some kid in Norway found a collection of personal letters which were apparently written by Queen Anna of Arendelle herself. The letters are currently being examined for authenticity but if they're real (and that is a big if, okay) then we are on the verge of maybe something awesome.

Source: dogeared #gotta keep hopes in check #even if theyre authentic #could be boring #just gotta chill #chill chill chill   
**42 notes**


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

August 2019

**eatthebooks**

HOLY SHIT THE ARENDELLE LETTERS ARE LEGIT!! THEY ARE LEGIT!!!

**eatthebooks**

GUYS THEY ARE EVERYTHING WE WANTED!! WATER WITCH DETAILS, NORTHULDRA DETAILS, AND SO FUCKING GAY

**whichwitch**

😭😭😭

Source: eatthebooks   
**321 notes**

Guardian Weekend  
News | Opinion | Sports | **Culture** | Lifestyle

Frozen in Time: the incredible rediscovery of Norway's most enigmatic royals  
When fifteen year old Sofie Johansson embarked upon a weekend of sorting through her late grandmother's writing boxes, she expected piles of yellowed newspaper clippings, fifty-year old wedding invitations and mountains of dusty photographs. What she didn't expect was the most thrilling historical discovery of the decade.  


By Kyra Wilson  
10th August 2019

In a scene that will be familiar to many families, the Johansson's attic is packed with sentimental knick-knacks. There's a hatstand from a great uncle, an old dress collection from a distant cousin and, hidden away in the corner, several large battered trunks that had belonged to Sofie's late and much-beloved grandmother. It was in one of these, mixed in amongst a collection of faded Christmas cards, that Sofie found a bundle of a few dozen old letters. At first glance unremarkable, containing only the domestic going-ons of presumably some long-distant ancestors, Sofie was intrigued by the archaic language and fancy crests. The following week she took them in to her school and asked her history teacher for his thoughts.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," said Jakob Vigen, a graduate of the University of Bergen. "My first thought was that Sofie was playing a trick of some kind. But the language was well beyond even the most dedicated thirteen year old."

What Sofie had stumbled upon was a collection of twenty-three personal missives written to Queen Anna of Arendelle from her mysterious sister Queen Elsa. Sometimes political, sometimes domestic, always deeply personal, the letters are the kind of treasure trove that historians can only dream of, an open window into the private lives of royalty. And not just any royalty. It is difficult to overstate the monumental cultural significance of the Arendellian Queens.

CNN @CNN  
Fifteen year old Norwegian girl stumbles upon "the most important historical find in recent history" https://cnn.it/2UJU9lZ

The New York Times @nytimes  
She may have created vast palaces, small ice ages and even sentient life. New findings suggest that Queen Elsa of Arendelle was history's most powerful water witch. https://t.co/HTyiFfDR8M

PinkNews @PinkNews  
BREAKING: Norwegian Queen Elsa of Arendelle was "beyond all doubt" in a lifelong romantic and committed relationship with a woman https://t.co/FxSP9dMoJu

The Norweigan figures of Queen Elsa (r. 1839-1842) and Queen Anna (r. 1842-1897) of Arendelle have long captured the public imagination. How could they not? A pair of ruling queens, a much-debated link to the Indigenous peoples of Scandinavia, hints at a royal family scandal and one of history's most controversial lesbian love stories. That's not even to mention documentation suggesting that Queen Elsa was a water witch of unprecedented power.

It's a story that seems tailor-made for the interests of today. Queen Elsa has been adopted as a prominent figure in the LGBT+ community, Queen Anna as a feminist icon. So too has the pair received significant academic attention. The Arendellian Queens, occupying an enigmatic space between history and legend, have presented tantalising subjects for a discipline that is often lacking a female presence.

But all study of the Queens has faced a near impervious barrier: the lack of evidence. Generously called a city, Arendelle was small even for a town with no more than three thousand residents. Any record-keeping was patchy, uniquely-organised and stored mostly in the town's small library. When, during the Nazi occupation of Norway, that same library was burned to the ground, all records were lost: thousands of histories, trade books, diaries and personal accounts all vanished.

Our only record of the Arendellian Queens came from the stories that diffused through the surrounding countryside - stories that often read more like legends. Queen Elsa and Queen Anna seemed destined to remain half fact, half fiction, and fully unknowable; the details of their lives lost to the cold mists of time.

At least, until the Arendelle Letters.

Jezebel @Jezebel  
Water witches, political intrigue and historical lesbians. The letters of these Norwegian queens have all the makings of our next fave Hollywood blockbuster https://t.co/xSfgKACErt

**annasarendelle**

**anonymous** asked:  
i don't get it!! if they've been authenticated where are the letters??? [insert judge judy tapping watch gif here]

Me too, babe, me too.

They're gonna finalise any issues with the text (apparently some letters are more fragmentary than others) and then release them (alongside an English translation by the love of my life Rosie Hedger) in late September. The good news is that publishing dates are a bit looser than film release dates so if we're lucky they might arrive bit sooner.

Until then though we're stuck with scouring news articles and scholarship for every blessed detail.

Source: annasarendelle #anon #19th century #norwegian history   
**113 notes**

The Washington Post @washingtonpost  
Newly-discovered private letters of Norwegian royalty are "the Dead Sea Scrolls of lesbian literature" https://wapo.st/3bREN4x

Dating from the period 1842-1850, the twenty-three letters found by Sofie Johansson chronicle the events immediately following the shock abdication of Queen Elsa and the coronation of Queen Anna. Shockingly, unbelievably, the letters appear to be the originals, taken from Anna's own private collection. To describe them in political terms is misleading; they are not letters between a former Queen and her successor, they are letters between sisters.

Consequently, the content is varied. The royals do discuss practical matters - how best to deal with the embassy from Weselton, with which of the fishmongers it is easiest to negotiate, how to handle staffing issues at the palace. More often though, the subject is personal: Queen Elsa's next visit to Arendelle, her life among the Northuldra, updates from Queen Anna on mutual friends.

Historians will doubtless be piecing together the full implications of these details for decades to come but certain revelations are already making waves:

Multiple letters make reference to Queen Elsa's water witchery, a depiction which had until now often been dismissed as Arendellian nationalist propaganda.

So too is there much discussion of an attempt by the Arendellian government to cause serious damage to the Northuldra way of life by means of a strategically-situated dam. The similarities between this event and the modern Atla conflict has already attracted political commentary.

Perhaps most controversially of all, multiple letters reference what appears to be a romantic relationship between Queen Elsa and a Northuldra woman.

The Telegraph @Telegraph  
The Arendelle Letters: Cambridge academic pleads for "patience and nuance" in discussion of controversial historical figures https://t.co/pf5MYfmvSB

World Wide Witches @worldwidewitches  
Queen Elsa and the Arendelle letters will re-open uncomfortable questions into ethics of creating sentience through witchery https://t.co/RhjYRNfpUN

The letters were authenticated late on Thursday evening by Dr Sunita Anand, a leading historian at the University of Oslo. She told a press conference to applause: "Beyond reasonable doubt it's Elsa's writing."

Details of their publication have yet to be released, but Alexandra Rogstad from the Arendellian Royals Society said plans for a translation were well advanced. She said this morning, "I'm totally thrilled, I'm overwhelmed to be honest, it's beyond what any of us had ever hoped for.

"The authentication is the culmination of a lot of hard work. But I think, as someone said to me earlier, it's just the end of the beginning.

"We're going to completely reassess the historical period, we're going to completely look at all the sources again, and hopefully there's going to be a new beginning for Anna and Elsa as well."

↓ View Comments ↓

Share this story

Rosie Hedger @rosie_hedger  
I have worked extensively on the Arendelle letters and I cannot wait to share them with you all. The Queens' love for one another shines off every page. Translating such genuine emotional depth and intimacy was a pleasure #ArendelleLetters

The Bookseller @thebookseller  
Pre-orders for the hardback version of #ArendelleLetters have hit a record high for a historical work! And no wonder, check out this gorgeous cover art. http://bit.ly/2J9YfNJ

Penguin Books UK @PenguinUKBooks  
We could not be more excited to reveal that the history-making #ArendelleLetters will be arriving in stores next week.

Engaging, revealing, at times simply astonishing: the letters are an indispensable and heart-stoppingly relevant read for anyone interested in the womanly history of race, sexuality and magic. bit.ly/ArendelleLetters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is both short and late. The next one will be longer and, I very much hope, faster.
> 
> Thank you so much for all the support and comments and especially to [my-diamond-dust](https://my-diamond-dust.tumblr.com/post/614302305330905088/now-we-come-to-the-elusive-figure-of) who made the most gorgeous atmospheric edit of old-timey Elsa and Honeymaren.


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

September 2019

❄️ Carly reads history ❄️ @CarlieneHarris  
My copy of the #ArendelleLetters just arrived. I have a mug of tea and a pile of tissues. You're not gonna see me online for a while.

angry velociraptor @angersauros  
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD 

LINGUA OBSCURA   
**What We Lose When We Lose Indigenous Knowledge**

**By mistaking a culture's history for fantasy, or by disrespecting the wealth of indigenous knowledge, we're keeping up a Columbian, colonial tradition.**

By: Chi Lu | September 17, 2019 | 8 minutes

The recent discovery of the Arendelle Letters has been a vindication for the Northuldra oral tradition. From Queen Elsa's extraordinary water witchery to her romantic relationship with a woman, near every detail of the oral histories that had once been dismissed as folklore or even pure fantasy has been shown to be accurate.

What does it mean when we accept traditional knowledge as history only after it's been compared with contemporary scholarship and findings, and shown to be similar? Why is it that we don't just respect and trust the work of indigenous scholars, researchers and storytellers, who may present their work in a different form to scholarly conventions? As more researchers understand the value of different styles of recorded history, there have been calls for there to be an integration of long disregarded indigenous knowledge into our historical understanding.

Traditional knowledge often values a more nuanced, contextual and holistic view.... [CLICK TO READ MORE]

angry velociraptor @angersauros  
halfway through the letters and ngl i have a crush on honeymaren

Replying to angry velociraptor  
history nerd @thenerdiestnerd  
yeah cos elsa literally won't shut up about how smart honeymaren is, how skilled a rider, how "handsome her figure", her bravery, her singing, her weaving

Replying to history nerd and 1 other  
angry velociraptor @angersauros  
our girl is smitten 😂😂

**History** Extra  
Home > Period > Victorians

**The Five Most Important Facts We Learnt From The Arendelle Letters**

Ila Coleman  
September 6, 2019 at 12:00 pm

In this month's issue of Weird History, we're focusing on the recently authenticated Arendelle Letters. Setting aside the massive political and cultural implications of the letters, we think we've dug out the really juicy stuff here.

1\. Anna hated her in-laws, constantly referring to them in letters to Elsa as "the trolls". She also joked regularly that Prince Kristoff's occasional breach of court etiquette was understandable given that "he was raised by trolls". (More evidence that women today have the same problems as women hundreds of years ago).

2\. For years after the abdication, the Queens had a monthly games evening. If this isn't fantastic enough, know that Elsa was apparently so bad at charades that the group got into fights over who had to partner her - and even Honeymaren refuses. Ouch.

3\. Both sisters managed to spend their life with/marry very dedicated reindeer herders (look at that social mobility!) and both were very aggrieved at this. They keep a chart going _for years_ tracking who has it worse re: the reindeer problem. Anna wins when Kristoff makes her share a bed with a sick reindeer.

4\. In case Elsa being literally the coolest person ever wasn't already clear, she fought and beat multiple stone giants on her own. She also fought and beat several more with Honeymaren's help. Yes, Honeymaren the powerless reindeer herder helped to slay stone giants. This was one hell of a power couple.

5\. Before Anna was Queen, she attempted to marry a guy she had known for under six hours. The marriage fell through - sadly, no explanation - but Elsa brings this up in a very snippy exchange about who has the worst romantic prowess. I gotta say, I fully respect Elsa for bringing up something that happened five years ago to win an argument. That's big older sibling energy.

BONUS: Elsa sneezed living snowballs - with little legs and everything. Yeah, it sounds totally unbelievable and kinda creepy and I'm semi-convinced it was an in-joke between the sisters but Sua Ki, the most boss ass water witch alive today, confirmed yesterday that this is theoretically possible if your power levels are off-the-scale.

**Ila Coleman's _A Brief History of Scandinavia's Witches_ (Boydell & Brewer) was recently updated, and is now available in paperback. To find out more, click here.**

Tags: History in the News

Slate Vault @SlateVault  
"Be prepared. Just when you think you found your way, life will throw you onto a new a path": applying the wisdom and witticisms of Arendelle's General Mattias to our lives today https://t.co/TRBBUhnJST

Buzzfeed @BuzzFeed  
Top Ten Most Sickeningly Romantic Quotes From The Arendelle Letters https://t.co/RC06URdlKZ

**dreamsofarendelle**

> That Honeymaren has become an invaluable, even cherished, companion will be of no great surprise to you. What may be a surprise, indeed what has surprised even me, is the strength and nature of my feelings towards her. To say it plainly, I love her.
> 
> We intend to take vows together so that we may be, for now and for always, the happiest women this side of the sea. I will hold these vows in my most private heart as something akin to a marriage.
> 
> I am writing in the hope that you will give us your blessing. I ask not as a subject to her Queen, but as a woman to her sister. There is no place for my love, for us, in the histories of our kingdom, I can only hope that there is a place for us in your heart.

From Elsa to Queen Anna, Arendelle Letters 28 c.1850 (trans. by Rosie Hedger)

**firstkingdom**

that last line is a gut punch. it fits this tragic theme of wlw and mlm writers finding a kind of legitimacy/immortality/acceptance in the memories of others (often implied: others like them) rather than in historical canon.

**firstkingdom**

"someone, i say, will afterwards remember us" - sappho

"when i am with him, smoking or talking quietly ahead, or whatever it may be, i see, beyond my own happiness and intimacy, occasional glimpses of the happiness of 1000s of others whose names i shall never hear, and know that there is a great unrecorded history." - e m forster

"we have to hope that the people who love us and who know us a little bit will in the end have seen us truly. in the end, not much else matters." - ali smith

"there is no place for my love, for us in the histories of our kingdom, i can only hope that there is a place for us in your heart." - elsa of arendelle

Source: dreamsofarendelle #elsa loved honeymaren so so damn much #and they stayed together until they died holy shit #my heart cant handle these letters   
**2,655 notes**

**Lesbian: the power in labeling Elsa of Arendelle's sexuality**  
By Alice Wilkson

History has long reserved a special derision for lesbians. Where gay men appear in the historical canon, although with no mention of their homosexuality, lesbian women vanish entirely. In a profoundly logocentric culture such as ours there is a constant process of struggle and negotiation to determine whose thoughts are recorded and whose erased from the record, whose truth gets told and whose denied. The datasphere is a battleground; libraries are wars in progress. 

The reality is that 'lesbian' is not a chronologically transferable term, that it is, in the literal meaning of the word, anachronistic. Lesbian relationships were all but impossible until relatively recent social and political change enabled some women to live independently of men.

But regardless of accuracy, lesbian is a loaded term, a powerful term. Acclaimed director Céline Sciamma, in an interview on her most recent film, was asked about the strong popular push back to her used of the word "lesbian" as a descriptor. She mused eloquently on the subversive and dangerous nature of female relationships, then concluded, "We wouldn't fear the word if it wasn't powerful."

Sciamma is right. The reaction to.... 

Join us for free for your first month

**forthewicked**

Okay, we know that Elsa is the super cool water witch and Honeymaren is an icon and queer history is amazing but! Anna is great too! And she deserves some love! Just to name a few things:

  * Queen Anna came to the throne, completely out of the blue and with no preparation whatsoever, at the age of 21. Despite all that, she ruled for over fifty years and is generally considered one of Arendelle's most ethical, successful and popular monarchs.
  * Married a reindeer herdsman. A 19th century monarch who did not give a flying fuck about class and people don't realise how extraordinary that was.
  * Enshrined in law some of the world's most thorough protections and rights for Indigenous people and the environment. Like, these things are still influential and progressive by today's standards.
  * Held wild parties. They'd open the palace gates and just? let people in? all people? and they'd dance and sing and be merry. Honestly it sounds like something out of a fairy tale but she really did have this unprecedented "open gate" policy.
  * Was a fantastic sword fighter. She'd take part in tournaments in her royal robes and kick the asses of all these visiting dignitaries and knights. One complained that she had a "supernatural strength" cos he couldn't handle being beat.



**lesbiannapoleon**

People don't make enough of the Kristoff/Anna love story! This Victorian era Queen defied all logic and social convention to marry a commoner, not a Kate Middleton style upper middle class commoner, but a man from quite literally the lowest rung of the Arendelle social ladder. He would have had no family, no property, very little money money, few prospects and would have been dirty and smelly from sleeping with his reindeer. Despite all that, the pair fell wildly in love and stayed that way for the rest of their lives.

Plus Kristoff totally adored Anna and had the words "my love is not fragile" engraved into her engagement ring. Come on, that's like fanfic levels of romance.

Source: forthewicked #im 21 and can barely run my own life #let along a country #mad respect to my fave sword wielding queen   
**843 notes**

Black History Heroes @HistoryHeroes  
4/12/1847: General Destin Mattias of Arendelle was a soldier, general, adviser and diplomat who played a crucial role in building alliances between Arendelle and the Northuldra of Norway. #BlackHistory

Screen Rant @screenrant  
Niki Caro (Whale Rider) has been tapped as showrunner for HBO's adaptation of the lives of Elsa and Anna of Arendelle https://buff.ly/2yzLutL

World Book Day UK 📚 Retweeted  
Southampton Green Gate Primary School @southamptongreengate  
We had thirteen Queen Elsas, five Honeymarens, three Queen Annas and a Kristoff at our annual #WorldBookDay fancy dress competition. What a turn out! 

**leitmotif**

i'm warning you lot right now. if I see ship wars over some crusty european royals who died in the fucking 1890s then i'm deadass quitting the internet to become a bee keeper

Source: leitmotif #hamilton was bad enough #i have officially reached my limit on rpf nonsense   
**4,103 notes**

r/UnresolvedMysteries   
[Serious] From 1839 to 1897, one of the most influential advisers in the court of Queen Anna of Arendelle was a man known only as Olaf. Who or what was he?  
u/TheGreatIceCake  
Quick historical background: In the nineteenth century, Arendelle was a very small sovereign city-state in the north-west of Norway. Its primary export was ice, it was extremely self-isolated and it was generally of very little historical note until its famous ruling queens came to power in 1839. Queen Elsa then Queen Anna ruled until 1897 and their reign is a period of great historical interest for a number of reasons.

One of those reasons is their chief adviser Olaf. This shadowy figure appeared in the first year of Queen Elsa's reign and disappeared on the last day of Queen Anna's. He seems to have been present for every major event and decision of their reign. He has no past, no future, no life outside his palace role, no other names. He is simply Olaf.

If you know anything about nineteenth century history, you'll know this is nuts. Advisers don't come out of nowhere. They had prominent friends and families who got them into power, they had schooling and an elite education, they had a career and a personal life. Olaf had none of those things.

The questions are endless. Who was he? Where did he come from? What did he want?

The theories are equally endless. Was he a guardian appointed by the council to advise the young princesses? Was he a secret lover of Queen Anna's? Was he a con-man who manipulated the princesses into dependence upon him?

The theory I will set forwards is that he was a snowman. All I ask is that you read the evidence before you laugh:

  * "A country ruled by a girl queen and a snowman." - Prince Elias of the Southern Isles, On Trade III
  * "The witch in these parts has the ability to make life from dull matter" - Jakob Natvig, Travels 5.113
  * "See that Olaf doesn't melt away." - Queen Elsa, Arendelle Letters 3
  * "My dear Honeymaren has embroidered for Olaf the most exquisite of cloaks. If he could bear to clothe himself temporarily, I think it should look most excessively handsome on him." - Queen Elsa, Arendelle Letters 15



**READ MORE**

  
Share 389 Comments ・・・ ↑ 4.0k ↓ 

u/vidyagamesDC  
What did I just read?  
・・・ ↑ 1.4k ↓

u/zaphodbeebles  
I have never seen such a well-sourced pile of nonsense before in my life. Bravo!  
・・・ ↑ 321 ↓

u/loner4ever  
You can't deny that this is high quality shit posting  
・・・ ↑ 204 ↓

u/fitzbastard  
Honestly I'd welcome a bit more 19th century Europe conspiracy theories to break up the unsolved murders.  
・・・ ↑ 59 ↓

More Comments (2)

u/fanatick  
To be fair, stone giants are earth given form. It's not totally wild to suggest that snow could be given form  
・・・ ↑ 218 ↓

u/bunzilla  
It is however totally wild to suggest that a prominent historical figure was an enchanted fucking snowman  
・・・ ↑ 531 ↓

u/fanatick  
Yeah, that's hard to argue with.  
・・・ ↑ 61 ↓

u/chickencheesedonut  
I cannot express how much you would not hire a stone giant as a political adviser  
・・・ ↑ 398 ↓

More Comments (38)

**eatthebooks**

turns out that the Arendelle letters are only with us because a badass lady archivist saved them from a building which had been set on fire by Nazis. that's pretty fucking metal.

**proserpinas**

This is something about the Arendelle letters which I haven't seen talked about much, but which has really stuck with me.

The name of the archivist who saved the letters was Eva Rustad. She saw her life's work going up in smoke, knew that she could save only a few dozen of the thousands of manuscripts in the library, and she decided that these letters between sisters - quiet and personal and loving and domestic - were what mattered most.

Eva took the appropriate measures to preserve the letters and boxed them up with the rest of her records. She died unmarried and left all her belongings to her niece Lise. Lise had adored her aunt and could never bring herself to throw the last pieces of her away. She kept those boxes, safe and well-looked after, for decades.

Lise Ronneberg died last year. It was her grand-daughter, Sofie, who, missing her beloved grandma, started the arduous labour of love that was carefully sorting through her boxes of old photographs, records and diaries. That was when Sofie found the Arendelle letters.

I think there's something so beautiful in this. All those quiet, domestic, unimportant acts of love between women, a little girl who was grieving her grandmother, an old woman who missed her aunt, an archivist who chose to save a collection of women's letters. History isn't just made by huge acts of violence, it's also made by quiet acts of love.

Source: eatthebooks #this made me tear up a little #hope for humanity   
**2,655 notes**

Radio Times @RadioTimes  
Director Yates Davidson says that the upcoming Disney animation based on the lives of the Arendelle Queens will explore grief, responsibility and water witchery - but not Elsa's sexuality https://bit.ly/2whHQE6

Replying to Radio Times and 3 others  
🏳️🌈 Andrea Everitt 🏳️🌈 @andieveritt  
Disney, like so many others across the centuries, is trying to write us out of history. But if there's anything the #ArendelleLetters have proven, it's that their narrative is a lie. We have always been here, struggling and persisting and loving, and our stories are powerful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Much of the content of the two article snippets (on Indigenous Knowledge and Lesbian History) is not my own original writing.** I have noted below what was magpied/stolen and from which articles, interviews and books. I am more than happy to answer questions about this.
> 
> 'What We Lose When We Lose Indigenous Knowledge' is heavily taken from a real article which can be found [here](https://daily.jstor.org/what-we-lose-when-we-lose-indigenous-knowledge/). It's a really fantastic look at Columbus' and our own legacy of mindlessly dismissing vital indigenous knowledge because it's not presented in the way to which we are accustomed.
> 
> The lesbian history article contains whole chunks from Tamsin Wilton's "Invisible and erased: uses and abuses of history" in _Lesbian Studies: Setting an Agenda_ (pp.50-65). I read it via a paid service but I'm told that you can access it [here](https://archive.org/details/lesbianstudiesse00wilt) with a free account.
> 
> The article on lesbian history also contains quotes from Céline Sciamma's [interview](https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/love-dialogue-c%C3%A9line-sciamma-on-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire) on her film _Portrait of a Lady on Fire_.
> 
> I feel like most people have seen those tumblr compilations of quotes on LGBT in history. The one I was thinking of when I wrote this is [this one by amethystgold](https://amethystgold.tumblr.com/post/188376668775/alta-james-baldwin-gilbert-bradley-arthur).
> 
> While I'm crediting people, the art for the Arendelle Letters cover image was taken from Disney's [twitter account](https://twitter.com/DisneyAnimation/status/1248721164039589892). It's concept art from the first movie and was drawn by Jin Kim.
> 
> Once again, thank you for all the comments, kudos and support. It's so appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is also on [tumblr](https://sequestering.tumblr.com/post/615190077918838784/all-that-is-left-of-us-frozen-elsahoneymaren).


End file.
